The court took suo motu cognisance of newspaper reports highlighting severe public inconvenience caused by traffic congestion on National Highway 44 (Wardha Road) due to the agitation
Prahar Janshakti Party leader Bachchu Kadu. File pic
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court (HC) on Wednesday ordered Prahar Janshakti Party leader Bachchu Kadu and his supporters to vacate Wardha Roadin Maharashtra, where they have been staging a protest demanding a complete farm loan waiver, news agency PTI reported.
Thousands of protesters, led by former Maharashtra minister Omprakash alias Bachchu Kadu, are participating in the ‘Maha Elgar Morcha’.
The HC took suo motu cognisance of newspaper reports highlighting severe public inconvenience caused by traffic congestion on National Highway 44 (Wardha Road) due to the agitation, PTI reported.
Justice Rajnish Vyas, citing reports, noted that the protest led to 20 km-long traffic jams, affecting the movement of ambulances and police vehicles. The road also serves as a key route to the Nagpur airport and the National Cancer Institute, he observed.
The court said the protestors’ blockade of a public road violated citizens’ fundamental right to free movement, and directed Kadu to clear the highway immediately, reported PTI.
The state was represented by advocate Devendra Chauhan, and the matter will be heard on November 6.
Kadu’s tractor rally had started on Monday from Chandurbazar in Amravati district.
Maharashtra CM Fadnavis urges Bachchu Kadu to hold talks with govt instead of protests
Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday urged Prahar Janshakti Party leader Bachchu Kadu to hold talks with the government over farmers’ issues instead of resorting to agitations that inconvenience the public and risk being misused by “vested interests.”
While speaking to reporters a day after Kadu led a tractor rally in Nagpur demanding a complete farm loan waiver and other reliefs, Fadnavis said the government was open to dialogue and had already shown a positive approach, reported PTI.
“The government had earlier scheduled a meeting to discuss these issues. Kadu initially agreed but later backed out, which led to the meeting’s cancellation,” he said, adding that Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had since reached out to Kadu to resume talks.
“He has raised many issues that can’t be solved through protests. Constructive discussion is the only way forward,” Fadnavis said, appealing to Kadu to avoid road blockades that cause hardship to the public, including patients.
“Agitations often attract elements with vested interests who can turn them violent. The government will not permit protests like ‘rail roko’,” he warned.
Reaffirming his government’s commitment to farmers’ welfare, Fadnavis said a Rs 32,000-crore package had already been announced for cultivators.
(With PTI inputs)
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